Category Archives: News

Grand Openings, Readings, Piccies and Summer Fun

August 18, 2013Blog, NewsDavid Woolfall, erotica, La Boudoir grand opening, news updates, photography, Sh! reading and poetry slam, The ExhibitionK D Grace

I’ve not had a news catch-up in a while on A Hopeful Romantic, so today’s the day. And it’s a good thing because there’s a lot of news! Hang on to your summer hats and sunshades. There are a couple of fun events coming up, so get out your diaries and write these down.

Grand Opening of La Boudoir Boutique

I’ve been asked to be a VIP for the grand opening of La Boudoir Boutique in Canterbury. And I’ll be in good company, reading a bit of smut with my colleague in naughtiness, the Queen of BDSM, Kay Jaybee. Canterbury may never be the same. If you’re in that neck of the woods around one next Friday the 23^rdof August, stop in for loads of fun.

We’ll be celebrating La Boudoir Boutique’s grand opening with our fab friend, the Saucy Cara Sutra, award winning blogger, with Jo Hemmings, behavioural psychologist to the stars, and with award-winning DJ, Charlie Sloth and Victor Ebuwa, who was a housemate on Big Brother Five.

There’ll be toys for grown-ups, books, sexy lingerie, goodie bags, a free raffle and all kinds of fun stuff and naughtiness. Make sure to check the website for a listing of all the fun events and the schedule. It’ll all be happening from 1:30 onward in Canterbury. I can hardly wait to celebrate with Violet Hall and the gang at La Boudoir Boutique. And I hope I see you there.

Unit 26, 1 Sparrow Way, Canterbury, Kent, CT3 4AL

Sh! Reading and Poetry Slam

After celebrating in Canterbury, Kay Jaybee and I are heading back to London by fast train to party over at Sh! Women’s Store! Yes, that’s right, we are total party animals, and there’s a fantastic reading and poetry slam going on at Sh! Fun, fizz and filth for a fiver! That’s a great deal! If you’re in or near London, or if you aren’t but want to take a fast train, plane or bus, then do come join us. You can join us just to have a listen and a good squirm in your seat or you can join us and read your own filthiest to an appreciative crowd! Either way it promises to be a fabulous night of naughtiness.

Here are a few of the fab folks who’ll be reading besides yours truly: Kay Jaybee, Meg Phillip Lexie Bay and Victoria Blisse to tease and tempt you, as well as the amazing poets such as Ali Brumfitt, Lisa Davies and Jane Fae!

Here are the yummy details:

Erotic Poetry and Reading Slam
Friday 23rd August
6.30-8pm
£5 (includes bubbly and cupcakes)

If you’re interested in performing on the night, email Sh! on events@sh-womenstore.com with a saucy snippet, and the lovely Sh! Ladiez will do their upmost to accommodate you into the schedule. It’s first-come, first-serve, so don’t hesitate to send that email!

Booking in advance is advised. Sh! is an intimately-sized venue with limited ticket availability. Email events@sh-womenstore.com to book your tickets today and come party with us!

Pretty Pictures in the Paper

It’s been almost two years since the fantastic portrait photographer, David Woolfall contacted me with the idea for a photo shoot and an accompanying essay on erotica writers, the women behind the smut. I saw a similar piece he’d done in the Guardian several months before with photos and an essay about ghost writers, so the idea was intriguing. By the time the scheming and planning was done, David had a great group of erotica together – most of them women I know and respect, not only because they’re great people, but because they’re really ace story tellers as well. Over the course of the next few months, the photo shoots happened all across the UK. David booked a lot of miles in those months to photograph us all, and those of us involved compared notes on our photo-shoot experience via email and Skype. David was amazing to work with, quickly putting me at ease and shooting me in my jungle of a veg garden, back in the pre-allotment days.

Once all of the shoots were done and the photos finished, David put them up on his website. Several months later, the Independent ran an article that included a few of the shots, of a few of the authors, but David wasn’t satisfied. He wanted us all featured and he wanted the complete story shared. He promised us he’d keep working to get our photos, along with our interviews and even snippets of our work out to the world.

This week it happened in a big way, beginning with an article in Slate, followed the next day with an article in the Mail Online’s Femail section online and the next day in the Huffington Post online. All three had lots of David’s lovely photos from those shoots of us, as well as his observations, and the Slate and the Huff Post had our naughty little snippets as well. I couldn’t help but smile that when the actual print version of the Daily Mail came out the next day, they had replaced David’s story and pics of women who write erotica with a story about women who chose to be abstinent. Hmmm. I can tell you that of the two articles, the women erotica writers definitely had the biggest smiles on their faces. Make sure to check out the posts and all my lovely colleagues, Victoria Blisse, Lexie Bay, Lily Harlem, Kay Jaybee, Lucy Felthouse, Jacqueline Applebee, Liz Coldwell, Lavina Lewis, Janine Ashbless, and Louise Cross.

I’d like to thank David Woolfall once again, not only for the totally amazing photos and for all of his hard work, but for his persistence in getting his photos and his impressions and interviews with us out to the public. David, you’re amazing!

In Other News

These past few weeks, I’ve been scarce on social media. My head’s been down, and I’m hard at work on the final rewrite of the third novel of Grace Marshall’s Executive Decisions Trilogy, The Exhibition. Am I having fun? You betcha! I love the final rewrite of a novel. It’s all about seeing everything clearly and making sure everything is sharply focused so that the story is clear and demands the reader’s full attention. It’s in that final rewrite where I truly get enthusiastic about what I hope my readers will find as exciting to read as I have to write.

What can readers expect from The Exhibition? Well you can expect lots more romance and plenty of sex, but you can also expect plenty of dark, chilling twists and turns as old enemies show up again, and things are never quite what they appear to be. I hope to finish the final draft by the end of August or the first week in September, and after that Xcite will get it out to readers ASAP.

Summering On

In the meantime, we summer on! The allotment is overflowing with all kinds of wonderful fresh veg, including some truly inspirational phallic veg, and the great outdoors is where we’d rather be. I hope you are all enjoying whatever your version of summering on is and taking advantage of the long days and sunshine. Wishing you all fun and filth in the summer sizzle.

Kinky Boots FREE in the UK

August 1, 2013Blog, Newserotica, Free download, Kinky Boots, Mischief BooksK D Grace

I’m very excited to say that my naughty novella, Kinky Boots, is FREE in the UK on Kindle at the moment, and it’s the perfect story to enjoy in the summer heat. This is a story for every woman who thinks there was something a little bit magical in just the right pair of boots and for every man who thinks there’s something magical about just the right woman in a pair of boots.

To spur you on to a sexy free download, if you’re in the UK, and a download that’s not free but certainly sexy and excellent value for money if you’re in the US, here is a very steamy little excerpt to heat up your day. Warning: This Excerpt is NOT rated PG!

Blurb:

After a sizzling encounter in KINKY BOOTS, a quirky all-night shoe store, with the store’s hot owner, FINN MASTERS, JILL HART walks away in the most gorgeous boots ever. Her new boots come with an unexpected bonus, a sexy demon named ELEANOR, who’s looking for a good time. All she lacks is a body, and Jill’s will do nicely.

Jill quits her dead-end job and, not knowing what’s come over her stops by the nearest pub intent on doing tequila shots until she falls off the stool. Instead she does FINN MASTERS in the beer garden, unwittingly participating in her first ever threesome. The boots were the bait, the timing was right and Eleanor has new digs. It’s Finn job to prevent Eleanor’s misbehaving. His failure means he’ll have to ride shotgun and do damage control until Eleanor moves out at the next full moon.

With Eleanor in residence, Jill’s bolder, sexier, willing to take risks. But is she a whole new Jill, or is it just demon courage? And how will Finn feel about her when she’s just plain Jill again? Will the maddeningly magical ménage make Jill’s dreams come true, or will it break her heart?

Excerpt from Kinky Boots:

At home, Jill showered and dressed. The search through her closet revealed the basic elements for a bolder, sexier look. The urge had always been there. She’d just not been brave enough for bold or sexy until now. She chose a short flip skirt that was candy-apple red and an oversizedwhite silk shirt barely buttoned over the plunge of an ivory lace bra.

After a feast Eleanor enjoyed as much as she did, she made a backup of the recording of her boss from the BlackBerry and drafted a letter to Human Resources, with Eleanor adding her advice as she felt the need. She was just about to answer yet another text from Vivie when there was a

knock on her door.

‘That will be Finn,’ Eleanor said. ‘He’s worried about you, and he’s horny as hell.’

Jill nearly dropped her BlackBerry before she threw it onto the coffee table. On her way to the door, she undid another button on her blouse.

Eleanor giggled. ‘I don’t think seduction will be necessary, hon.’

From the open door, Finn glared at her, arms folded across his chest. ‘You could have at least left me a message,’ he said. ‘I was worried.’ She smiled to herself as his gaze dipped instinctively to the barely buttoned front of her shirt.

‘I couldn’t find a pen,’ she replied, motioning him in and shutting the door behind him. ‘And I didn’t have your mobile number. I figured you’d guess I went home. I needed a shower and some clean clothes.’

He grabbed her by the lapels of her shirt and pulled her up onto her toes and into a deep hungry kiss. ‘You can’t just go off without telling me,’ he said when he put her back on her feet. ‘I know you and Eleanor are best mates at the moment, but you’ve got to trust me, she’s unpredictable, and she’s not vulnerable to the hazards of humanity like you are.’

‘You mean like being tied to a bed and having my brains fucked out, those kinds of hazards?’ When he didn’t smile, she shook his shoulders gently. ‘I’m joking, Finn, just joking. Last night was amazing, really. I’m still trying to get my head around it but otherwise –’

‘I need you, Jill. I need you bad.’ He grabbed her by the wrist and guided her hand to rest against his fly and she caught her breath.

‘Jesus, Finn, how did you even get up the stairs?’

‘I was motivated.’ He rubbed her hand against his crotch. ‘Very motivated.’

‘I don’t have any ropes,’ she said.

He held her gaze. ‘I told you I’ll use your panties if I want to tie you up.’

‘Fuck,’ she whispered.

‘Does it make you hot thinking about alternative uses I might find for your underwear? Shall I find out?’

With one hand he grabbed her by the lapel of her shirt and pulled her to him while the other scrunched and worried the hem of her skirt on the way to bare skin. Then he wriggled the crotch of her knickers aside and pushed into her with an upward thrust of two fingers. She practically came off the floor at the sudden but not unwelcome invasion.

‘I was right,’ he said, holding her gaze. ‘Are you ever not ready for sex, Jill Hart?’ He pulled his hand away and licked his fingers. ‘First I want to eat you, then I want to fuck you until you can’t stand up.’

She took his hand and led him to the over-stuffed chair crowded next to the sofa. At first she thought it might have been Eleanor instructing her, but it felt more like instinct as she stepped out of her panties and sat on the chair with her legs wide apart.

As she scrunched up her skirt, he stood watching, his fist rubbing up and down against the bulge in his jeans. She took her time, she didn’t rush, in spite of the tingling need that snaked up between her legs, the muscle memory of her sex that made the anticipation of another orgasm at Finn’s hands almost unbearable. When he groaned and cursed under his breath, she knew he could see her heavy need. Then she shifted her hips so he could see her whole cleft. With two fingers she spread herself, then dipped and swirled in and out of her pout while she thumbed her clit.

Finn dropped to his knees and pushed her open. The muscles that joined hips to thighs protested slightly after being tied up last night. ‘You sore?’ he asked, when she winced slightly.

‘Not too sore for what you have in mind,’ she replied.

He lifted her bare feet onto his shoulders and dived face-deep into the swell of her, tonguing his way up the smooth path of her perineum, parting her and dipping deep into her. The wet sounds of arousal accompanied the duet of their heavy breathing, and gasps of pleasure punctuated the Sunday morning quiet of her lounge. Licking and laving, he worked his way up until his pursed lips encircled her clit and he suckled and licked alternately. She held him against her, fingers curled tight in his hair, shifting and undulating against the delicious efforts of his tongue. Over her heavy breathing she heard the zip of his fly and felt him fumble to release himself without missing a beat, licking and suckling, licking and suckling.

‘Jill, I need you now,’ he said, pulling her onto the floor.

Find Kinky Boots Here:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks
Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobobooks.com

The Eye of the Beholder Has its First Reading

July 6, 2013Blog, NewsEye of the Beholder, Medusa, Moorita Encantada, mythology, Rubyyy Jones, writing a playK D Grace

I’ve done lots of readings from my work since my first one at Sh! several years ago. I love it. I love the interaction with the audience and I love the way it feels to be reading my story out loud. Well, Monday night that read-it-out-loud feeling got topped when, for the first time, OTHER people read my words out loud!

Monday night was the first read-through of my play, The Eye of the Beholder. I couldn’t have been more chuffed. Especially when my partner in the adventure, the delicious Moorita Encantada, showed me the room at the Green Carnation in Soho where she had arranged for the reading to take place –plush cushions, mirrored walls, thick velvet curtains. Someone commented that it looked a bit like an opium den. I don’t know about that, but it was Happy Hour with two-for-one cocktails and we had a bar tab! Cheers!

I brought the print copies of The Eye of the Beholder to pass out among our readers — those who wanted a print copy rather than to read from their iPads. To see even a rough copy of the play in print was a pretty cool experience for me. And I was very pleased when the room began to fill up with people, most of whom I’d never met before, who had responded to Moorita’s invite for readers. There were performers, dancers, actors, and people who were just friends of Moorita’s who showed up for the first ever reading. I couldn’t have been more pleased.

When the gorgeous Rubyyy Jones, who had agreed to lead the evening’s read-through, arrived looking fabulous as ever, and everyone was well lubricated with pina coladas, French martinis and mojitos, the party could begin.

I have to admit I was more than a little bit nervous at that point, having discovered that I, as the playwright, (my goodness! Me, a playwright? How cool does that sound?) was traditionally supposed to read the stage directions. I Have to admit, it was not one of my finer moments as a reader. Talk about opening night jitters! Fortunately Rubyyy took pity on me and helped me out when I stumbled, which was frequently.

However! Everyone else was brilliant! And if it was amazing to read my own words out loud in front of an audience, it was even MORE amazing to hear other people reading my words out loud! It’s hard to explain how it made me feel, but definitely giddy is right in there. My words being well-read and even acted by some totally amazing people who came of their own free-will after having read the script did amazing things for my fragile little ego. We didn’t even have to bribe or cajole! (Well, unless you count the two for one cocktails, and how could we expect anyone to read with a dry throat?)

The reading of the script took a little over fifty minutes, but the play itself will probably be twice that long when the performance numbers are all added in. Really, the script is the basic story for the director to work around, and my job is to make sure that basic story is strong enough to inspire the creativity of whichever director takes it on.

After the read-through and a short break, then the brainstorming and the critiquing began. That took up the majority of the evening. The discussion was lively, positive and extremely helpful. I took notes fast and furiously, and I wished desperately I could have everyone read it through one more time. But, Rubyyy tells me that’s what happens next after my next rewrite. There’ll be at least one more read-through, then a walk-through. And then things get complicated, finding a director and a venue and casting the rolls and OMG! I had no idea! For those of you reading this who have some background in theatre, I do apologise for sounding like a total ignoramus, but I write novels, and writing a play and taking it to the performance level is a whole new animal. I’m still trying to get my head around the whole experience.

Moorita has taken up the reigns since the basic writing is done, as she knows and understands the world of performance. I’m relieved to have that part in such capable hands. From the beginning Moorita has brainstormed with me and helped me to see what might work and what might not. Moorita has been the driving force from the beginning. The Eye of the Beholder would never have happened without her.

And now, it’s my turn again, as I face the challenge of the next rewrite. I’m on deadlines with the next Grace Marshall novel at the moment, but the next incarnation of The Eye of the Beholder is another challenge on my plate, and one I’m very much looking forward to. A very heart-felt thank you to all the lovely readers: Performers: Ava Iscariot, Annie Player, Miss Cairo Mascara, Davis Brooks, Lilly Snatchdragon, Sadie Sinner, Ursula Dares, Adela Apetroaia, Laurie Young, and Sarah Malter. And a special thanks to Rubyyy Jones and Moorita Encantada for making the first read-through of The Eye of the Beholder not only a success, but a totally fun time. You all rock!

My Post-ETO Self-Indulgence

June 29, 2013Blog, NewsETO Awards, KDO Awards, totally silliness and funK D Grace

After my amazing evening at the ETO Awards in Birmingham, which followed fast on the wild time at Smut by the Sea, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a winner. Though some chick named E.L. James nabbed the Best Erotic Author award at the ceremony, and that right after we had just finished our very phallic, very creamy dessert, Kay Jaybee and I have talked a lot since about how we felt like, ultimately, we came away the winners. First of all it was totally amazing just being nominated for such an award. For a writer to know that her craft is appreciated is a very big deal. And certainly just experiencing the excitement of ETO itself, and dressing up in our party frocks with our blokes on our arms and drinking fizz and feasting with the big names in the erotic industry was a recipe for a great time.

Plus it was wonderful to see so many of the people we admire and care about taking away those shiny trophies and bottles of champagne. These lovely winners were people who have supported us and encouraged us and helped us get where we both are as writers. Plus they were all people who promote the celebration of sex and erotica as a celebration of life itself. Okay, K D, now you’re just sounding soppy! But really, it’s true. It was great to see people who had done so much getting much-deserved recognition for work well-done. In all honesty, there were several categories in which we didn’t know who to cheer for because everyone on the list deserved to win in our eyes. In fact they were all already winners, regardless of who took the trophy home.

Congratulations to Xcite Press for winning Best Erotic Books Brand. Really, that felt almost like winning in itself, since they do such a fab job with our books.

Congratulations to Sh! Womens Erotic Emporium for winning Most innovative Retailer. I’m sure I don’t have to say how much we love the Sh! Ladiez and all that they do. On a list of my heroes, they are pretty damn close to the top.

Congratulations to Lovehoney, who took away the award for Best Online Retailer. No one has done more to promote my novels then Lovehoney, and they are on my love-you-forever list big-time.

Congratulations to Cara Sutra who won Best Erotic Journalist. I love her dearly for her promotion of my work and her encouragement. Plus her blog is fab.

And congratulations to Ms James for changing the playing field for all of us in exciting and interesting ways. We all owe her big-time for that, I figure. So hats off and salute.

And now, with that all in mind, I got to thinking what my award list would look like if I were ETO and I got to vote all the votes and choose all the winners –preferably while enjoying one of those yummy bottles of bubbly, of course. So with that in mind, I’m being a bit silly and self-indulgent and making my own list of winners It’s list that’s much closer to my heart, and it’s only a partial list. If I put all the amazing folks I’ve had the pleasure of associating with because of erotica this post would be endless. But here it is, the First Annual-ish KDO Awards!

And the winners of the KDO Awards are:

*Winners of the Sharing the Love Award are Victoria Blisse & Kevin Mitnik Bliss for their tireless efforts to promote and celebrate erotica and to help other writers do the same. You two are amazing!

*Winners of the Most Courageous and All-Around Lovely People I know Award are, without a doubt, the Sh! Ladiez! I’m in awe at all you do and how you do it in such a sexy, compassionate, fabulous way. Massive hugs to all of you! You are my heroes!

*Winners of the Good Golly, Ms Holly’s-in-the-Daily-Mail Award are LoveHoney. I didn’t see that one coming, and my heart still races when I think about it. Thanks for all you fabulous promotion of my work, much of which I don’t even know about as the results come rolling in. You’re the best!

* Winners of the You’re My Publisher and I think You’re Totally Cool Award are Xcite Books for obvious reasons. What a wild and wonderful ride it’s been. Thanks for sharing it with me!

*Winner of the Loveliest Smile Award has to be Tabitha Rayne. I can’t look at your smile and not feel better, Tabitha. Thanks!

*Winner of the Group-I’m-Most-Honoured-to-be-Apart-of Award are the Brit Babes. Your support and camaraderie are invaluable to me. Thanks so much for all you do!

*Winners of the Best Pet Namers Ever Award without a doubt goes to the fabulous Bowness family. Hope Stella and Tino are staying out of trouble!

*Winner of the I’ve Looked at Erotica from Both Sides Now Award is the brilliant and naughty Remittance Girl. Thanks for helping me look at erotica and romance from some seriously new and thought-provoking angles. You’re amazing!

*Winner of the Best Ode to an Inflatable Doll Award is Ashley Lister. I’m still moved to tears (of laughter) when I think about you delicious tribute to Betty.

*Winner of the Best at Taking Good Care of this Writer Award could be none other than my lovely husband, Raymond Dickey. Volim te mnogo, Slatki!

*Winner of the Sexiest Reading Voice I’ve Ever Heard Award goes to the delicious Rose Caraway for her sultry reading of my short story, Pharomones. Your podcasts are totally amazing! YOU are totally amazing, Rose!

*Winner of the Best Evil Publicist and PR Person Award could be none other than Lucy Felthouse. EP, what would I ever do without you?

*Winner of Best Partner in Crime and Terrible Twin Award is, of course, Kay Jaybee. The writing journey wouldn’t be nearly so much fun without you, Hon.

Sorry, but as much as I’d like to oblige, you lot don’t get a shiny trophy or a bottle of champagne. You don’t even get a cheap can of beer. But what you do get, and already have, is my respect, love and undying gratitude for being endlessly amazing and totally fabulous.

Muah! Muah! Muah! from my virtual podium on my virtual stage as the Self-indulgents — the troupe of virtual dancing girls I’ve hired for the grand finale, twirl their nipple tassels and kick up their heels to bring this years KDO Awards to a thrilling close. I can hardly wait for next year!

A special thanks to the very fabulous Kevin Mitnik Blisse for creating the gorgeous KDO Awards badges! You’re the best, Kev!

Telling Stories at Smut by the Sea

June 28, 2013Blog, Newserotica readings, erotica writers, event, Scarborough, Smut by the Sea, Victoria BlisseK D Grace

I’ve been waiting anxiously for Smut by the Sea to happen ever since I first heard the idea mentioned by the fabulous Team Blisse. Victoria and Kevin Mitnik Blisse are always planning and scheming something amazing which is always designed as a win-win experience for all the writers and venders who participate. I love that about them, and I love being involved in Blisse events, not only for that reason, but because they’re so much fun. And Smut by the Sea was no exception! To Date Smut by the Sea was the biggest event the Blisses have hosted, but knowing Victoria and Kev, today Scarborough, tomorrow the world! And I’ll be the first in line to buy my ticket. Thanks you two! You are the best!

In spite of the tombola, the book stand, the wonderful presence of Crowned Jewels, and FUJ’s fudge that was to die for, the very best part of SBTS, at least for me, was that it was so totally and completely a celebration of erotica. It was a writer-centric celebration of sex on the printed (and eBook) page, complete with the rowdy, costumed launch of Slave Nano’s novel, Adventures in Fetishland. It didn’t feel like a workshop, because it wasn’t. There was only one panel, and that was a how to get published panel, without which no gathering of writers would be complete. It was a panel that resulted in some wonderful discussion from the audience. What I liked best was that to me, the whole event felt like we were the modern version of the primal gathering around the campfire in front of the clan cave to hear and share the clan stories. If your curious about who all was seated around that SBTS ‘campfire’ check out the list of fab story tellers here.

I was elated that so much of the day was centred around reading – not just because I love to read my work, but because I love to hear the stories that other writers are reading. I’ve loved to be read to since I was a child on my mother’s knee. And I especially love to listen to first-time readers. I love to share their excitement, and I love to be one of the old timers who can encourage them and tell them not to worry it’ll be amazing. I love the looks on their faces when they’ve finished their first ever reading for an audience, the look that always tells me they’re hooked, just like I was, just like every one of us who has stood on that stage is.

For a writer, sharing a story is like breathing. We can’t NOT do it. That’s why we write. And to be able to read it out loud to an audience that’s there specifically to hear our words is like the rich, thick, butter cream icing with sprinkles on the cake. It’s a very physical reminder of why we do what we do. It’s an initiation for new writers and it’s something that those in the audience who are novices anticipate and dread at the same time.

There were three reading panels at Smut by the Sea, each with four readers. Along with Tabitha Rayne, Lucy Felthouse, Victoria Blisse, Ashley Lister, Lexie Bay, Janine Ashbless and myself, there were a good number of first timers, who all totally rocked it, by the way! Rachel Kincaid, Jennifer Denys, Slave Nano, Gemma Parkes, Liv Honeywell, Domitri Xavier and Tilly Hunter. You all were fabulous! And when our burlesque performer, Moorita had to cancel at the last minute because of car problems, the intrepid Victoria Blisse just invited more people to read. We drank wine, ate Victoria’s scrummy homemade cookies, and read and listen to readings. It was another great opportunity for newbies to pop their reading-in-front-of-an-audience cherries. I was in heaven!

In between the readings there was another key component that made SBTS such a fantastic experience, and that was the chance to chat, to share ideas, to meet people face-to-face who we had only ever talked to online before and to discover that they were just as amazing face-to-face as they are on social media. I was particularly pleased to finally meet the lovely Kerry-Ann McDade, who had come all the way from Northern Ireland to be at SBTS. I knew from her sassy ‘Reading a Little Bit of Everything’ blog.

The other thing writers love to do almost as much as they love reading their work out loud is to talk craft with other writers, and there was a lot of animated talking shop that went on in Scarborough that day. We talked fears and pleasures, we talked nuts and bolts, we talked failures and successes. We talked works in progress, we talked new and old publishers, we talked self-publishing and self-promoting, we talked about our characters and about our plots, we talked about what fun it was to be who we are and do what we love most. The celebratory atmosphere was very contagious.

In fact it spilled over into the Black Lion Pub after hours for a lovely buffet and a wild night of karaoke and laughter and just plain silliness. Raymond and I toddled off to bed somewhere around 1:30, but it was a long time before I could finally sleep, as I lay there listen to the gulls and reliving all the fun and camaraderie of the day and thinking about all the lovely people I’d spent time with — not listed here because the list is a long one — and mostly just feeling very happy to have been a part of it all.

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